Franklin Graham rejects 'hate speech' claims after booking cancelled

Franklin Graham, pictured with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump

American evangelist Franklin Graham has denied promoting "hateful speech" after a conference venue in Liverpool cancelled a booking for his UK tour.

Mr Graham, the eldest son of the late preacher Billy Graham, has said he believes gay marriage is a "sin".

He was due to speak at ACC Liverpool on 12 June, but the venue said some of his statements were "incompatible with our values".

He said: "I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love."

The ACC said its event aimed "to share the hope of Jesus Christ".

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said Liverpool was a "diverse" and "proud" city that would "not allow hatred and intolerance to go unchallenged by anyone".

But Mr Graham rejected the criticism in an open letter to LGBTQ community in the UK.

Franklin Graham's tours, including this one in the US, have drawn large audiences

He said: "It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel.

"The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes. But God goes even further than that, to say that we are all sinners - myself included.

"I'm not coming to the UK to speak against anybody, I'm coming to speak for everybody. You are absolutely welcome."

The tour is scheduled for May and June and is set to include venues in Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Birmingham and London.

The Bishop of Birkenhead previously pledged his support for Mr Graham's tour.

In a statement on the Diocese of Chester's website, he said he owed his own conversion to Christianity in part to Mr Graham's father.

He said he wanted to "commend the Graham Tour" and urged many to "come to receive and experience a new birth in the Holy Spirit".